Organization: How We Operate

Our structure

The IAA operates at three levels: central, regional and national/local.

In addition, we have a number of worldwide officers, which are crucial to the running of the IAA.
Being a non-profit making association, the majority of our management are association members who work on a voluntary basis, regardless of the level.

Worldwide officers

We have three important bodies that are crucial to the running of the organization. These are:

The Board of Directors

The Executive Committee

Vice-Presidents.

The IAA Board of Directors

The IAA Board of Directors is the IAA’s main governing body, making major decisions on the strategy and future direction of the Association. The Senior Vice President, the Secretary and Treasurer are elected by the IAA World Board, representing the worldwide membership, every two years, when the current Senior Vice President succeeds as Chairman and World President. The Board meets at least one time a year.

Vice Presidents

In addition to the officers on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors, the Chairman and World President also appoint a number of Vice-Presidents who are responsible for a variety of portfolios.

Regional level

The Vice President/Area Director is a key role - it is the catalyst for the region. VP/ADs work closely with the Presidents of the local Chapters, their officers and committees through regular contact and visits, stimulating local/national events and activities and coordinating regional events in line with the IAA's mission.

National/local level - Chapters

Establishing new Chapters

The IAA encourages the establishing of new Chapters, because they strengthen the position of the marketing communications business in the market place and increase the momentum to carry out the mission of the Association. Every situation is different, but most often the push to form a new Chapter comes from one or two people in a city or country, who see a need (the IAA refers to such individuals as ‘Champions’). That need could be a number of things, including a requirement to resolve professional and regulatory issues or networking with other professionals in the industry to share best practice.

The first advantage of forming an IAA Chapter is the fact that the IAA is a partnership, supported by the broad membership of advertisers, advertising agencies, the media and related services and educators and students. It is broad-based and can therefore speak for the marketing communications industry as a whole.

The second advantage is that the IAA is a global partnership enabling the Chapter to instantly become a part of the IAA's international network. This means that within its own country, the Chapter is not only a national institution, but also represents a global perspective and a global resource. This lends added weight and effectiveness to advocacy with government and authorities.